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California Sees Relief from Heat Coming

There`s relief on the way for folks in California suffering from the Bear Flag Republic`s recent heat wave. A record 132 people have died because of the heat there recently, but relief is in sight as stated before. Now, for the first time in two weeks, temperatures are expected to stay below 100 degrees across most of the state. The Central Valley area has suffered through most of the heat, as the entire state since July 16 has dealt with harsh triple-digit temperatures.

Modesto, CA, which typically sees one heat-related death a year, has seen 29. Most of the deaths have been from among the elderly, but there has also been the occasional younger deaths, such as a 38-year-old gardener who collapsed on the job and two brothers, aged 57 and 68, who were found dead in their home - without air conditioning.

In light of the heat threat, social workers in the state have been going door-to-door checking on senior citizens. The state has also set up 75 cooling centers at fairgrounds, and is using electrical conservation measures to avoid blackouts like the recent well-publicized one in Queens, NY. Voluntary blackouts have been the order of the day since the intense heat wave began.